Tenderness
by Charra Loon
Summary: In which Mei gets sick and Hanzo takes care of her. Part of Hanmei week, prompt: tending


It was late at night when Hanzo came back to base from a mission. He had a mind to slip into Mei's quarters, cuddle with his precious snowflake and get what sleep he could. Except when he got there, Mei was nowhere to be seen. Her bed was rumpled, so she had to have gotten up sometime during the night. It wasn't like she was spending it in the lab again, which she did when engrossed on a project. He called out to her, and heard retching coming from the bathroom. He barged in to see Mei vomiting in the toilet, her face white as Reaper's mask.

"Mei...?" Hanzo asked, kneeling by her. Mei groaned.

"Ay ya..." she replied. "Hi Hanzo...oh..."

"Mei, are you all right?"

"No...I've been vomiting all night-"

"And you did not go to the infirmary?"

"You are the last person to lecture me about going to the infirmary, Hanzo Shimada. Mercy complains that you are a terrible patient and that you have to be dragged there when you're injured, and it only works when the injuries are serious enoug-" She felt herself puking again. Hanzo waited until she finished, not caring how right she was about his habits regarding the infirmary. He had nothing against Dr. Ziegler, not in truth, but most of the injuries he sustained he could treat himself, he shouldn't need to bother her over every little scratch.

"You are going right now." He said when she finished. He scooped her up and exited out, marching towards the infirmary while Mei leaned into him.

* * *

"Oh...I hate being sick."

"I know, Mei. It is no worry, you will get better."

Mei pouted while she lay in bed. Mercy diagnosed her with a stomach bug and recommended bedrest, some medications and a follow up tomorrow. Mei protested of course, there was work to be done, projects to take care of, but Mercy stood firm, and more frustrating, Hanzo not only backed Mercy on this, but insisted on taking care of her while she was sick. Mei stopped fighting after that-she'd have better luck arguing with a wall than she would on her dragon budging on something once he made up his mind. Come to think of it, the only thing Hanzo disagreed with Mercy on was the medications-he knew Kampo techniques, a requirement considering his old life, and he insisted they would be enough to combat the stomach bug. He did promise that if the techniques were ineffective, if the bug was proving particularly resilient, that he would concede to Mercy's medications, but he knew Mei wouldn't want to rely on drugs unless absolutely necessary, and Kampo focused on natural remedies.

"It doesn't seem that way." Mei said as Hanzo pushed more peppermint tea on her. " _Xièxiè_." She sipped the tea, and nibbled on the candied ginger. Both served to help her stomach.

"I know it is hard, dealing with being sick." Hanzo replied, planting a kiss to her temple as he got the mug out of the way. "Especially when you are not accustomed to being ill. To some people, being sick is a weakness and weaknesses are meant to be exploited."

"Well, anyone who exploits this kind of weakness is a no-good bully with no honor." Hanzo just held her, and Mei mentally cursed the elders of his former clan. Those manipulative usurpers took the respect and revereance entitled to them as elders and used that for their own gain, seeking to turn Hanzo into their tool to use to run the clan behind the shadows. They didn't count on Hanzo fleeing the clan after the fight with Genji, and while they adjusted their plans, Hanzo was seeking redemption for his actions, having to battle guilt and shame at striking down his own brother. When he learned Genji was alive, Hanzo held onto that grief, to avoid addressing the anger and resentment he still felt for his brother after ten years, blaming him for the downfall of the clan, which was technically true. It took Hanzo a long time to come to terms with that, among other things, and it didn't help that he was stunted in some areas thanks to those so-called "elders". But Hanzo did deal with it and he managed to reconcile with Genji, but once in a while he would say something that was drilled into him by the elders, although they were worded less as accepted facts and more as something to be questioned or the opinions of others. Part of Mei wanted to kill the bastards for this, if any of them still lived, but she contented herself knowing that, if and when they met their ends, the gods would deliver to them far harsher judgements than she could conceive, let alone deliver.

"That part of my life is over, _takara_. It has been over for a long time. Now, do you think you can eat something?"

"Maybe later...you should get some rest."

"It is early afternoon, and I will not leave you to fend for yourself."

"Hanzo. You came back from a mission near midnight and then started to take care of me. I doubt you slept since before the mission, which would be what, twenty hours now?"

"Closer to eighteen. I am fine, Mei-Ling." Right, and if Mei was hallucinating the circles under his eyes, then America was selling one of their bridges, cheap. Somewhere in New York.

"Actually, my dragon, I'm feeling a little tired myself. I hate this, being sick...stay with me?" Hanzo smiled, and snuggled up closer.

"Of course, _takara_. But afterwards, you will be having broth with rice, maybe a banana on the side as well, you must rebuild your strength." She settled in his arms and found herself falling asleep, and if the mumbling was any indication, her dragon was too. Soon they were both asleep.


End file.
